Cristiano Ronaldo may have proved Edward Lorenz’s ‘Butterfly Effect’ right - by moving a single Coca-Cola bottle. Ahead of Portugal’s Euro 2020 opener against Hungary, captain Cristiano Ronaldo moved two bottles of Coca-Cola during a press conference on June 15 and then raised a bottle of water. The Portuguese star did not appear to be a fan of the carbonated soft drinks after kept in front of him at a Euro 2020 press conference, encouraging people to drink water instead. The 36-year-old moved the cola bottles aside as he sat down to speak to the media ahead of their Group F opener against Hungary. He followed it by holding a bottle of water before shouting in Portuguese: ‘Agua!’ This simple action led to Coca-Cola losing shares worth $4 billion in the market.
Although fans and fitness enthusiasts around the world applauded the move by the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, not everyone agreed. The Internet, being the Internet decided to do a deep dive - and found an old advertisement where Ronaldo is endorsing Coca-Cola. The ad shows the Portuguese star superimposed on Coke cans branded in simplified Chinese and playing soccer with an ice cube in a fridge. It ends with an image of the Coca-Cola logo and the World Cup trophy. Semi-grainy, low-quality versions of the ad can be found on YouTubedating back to 2008, even though the original airing date of the ad couldn’t be accurately traced.
As the advertisement surfaced, people on Twitter were amused by his u-turn from over 10 years ago, with many even calling out the Juventus star for ‘hypocrisy.’
Hey google , what’s does a HYPOCRITE mean ? #Ronaldo #CocaCola pic.twitter.com/KSNCDGAci5— Yeshwanth (@yesh2181) June 16, 2021
Wonder how much @CocaCola paid for that to be placed there https://t.co/b7G6IAbZp4— Stephen Scullion (@scullion262) June 15, 2021
I wonder how much he got paid to advertise coke in Asia!! https://t.co/FipxfUx1kA— Shane R (@ShaneRooD15) June 16, 2021
They used to be friends #Ronaldo #CocaCola https://t.co/WsxvjfFftm— RJ Festejo (@RJFestejo) June 15, 2021
Ronaldo has done ads for Coca Cola, so what are you saying? I think he did this as a self serving stunt!— Dr. Betsomarch (@albertmachinda) June 16, 2021
Water is better but Coca Cola are the tournament sponsors whose money helps to pay for the event he is appearing in. Also Ronaldo used to endorse Cola in TV adverts. When that contract ran out he moved on to appearing in ads for KFC.— Keith Bond (@eastrover1) June 16, 2021
This is not the only ad that resurfaced. In a 2013 ad for KFC in the Middle East, Ronaldo scores a penalty before tucking into a bucket of fried chicken. That ad is still present on the KFCArabia YouTube channel.
Being a footballer, Ronaldo is very conscious about his fitness and diet. He once revealed that his diet comprises six mini-meals, which consist of fruits, vegetables and clean protein, adding that if he is not on the training ground or on the field, he spends his time at the gym. This is also not the first time that Ronaldo expressed his dislike for soft drinks. During a 2020 awards ceremony, Ronaldo stated that he was annoyed whenever he caught his son drinking aerated drinks and eating chips.
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